Friday, October 16, 2015

New Beer Friday, Learn to Homebrew Edition (October 16)

Come one, come all!

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

On Saturday, November 7, Siciliano’s Market and Elk Brewing are teaming up to host an American Homebrewers Association (AHA) Learn to Homebrew Day. This free event is open to the public and will be held on the brewery’s outdoor patio at 700 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids from 11 AM to 5 PM.

The AHA’s Learn to Homebrew Day is an international event held annually on the first Saturday of November. Since its inception in 1999, thousands of homebrewers have gathered at locations throughout the world to celebrate and demonstrate the basic techniques of this life enriching hobby.

For more information on the Learn to Homebrew event at Elk Brewing, please contact lisa@elkbrewing.com.

New and Returning Beer

Brewery Vivant Pepper in the Rye, $3.39/16oz - "Great friends. Great food. Great beer. Relaxing at a meal together is the best part of our day. This beer is made for enhancing that experience. The flaked rye lends an earthy spiciness and the addition of green peppercorns into the boil kettle give a ping of peppery notes that will turn up the flavor of whatever dish you sit down to at your table. Add a friend or two and you’ve got yourself a memorable evening" (source).

Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale, $1.69/12oz - "With the onset of winter, the brewer’s mind turns to providing warmth. For our winter seasonal, Southern Tier offers Old Man Winter Ale, a rich and complex amalgam of hops and barley that will put the feeling back in your toes and lift your spirits above the snow. Old Man Winter throws a deep and inviting hue with a thickness that clings to the glass and the warmth of an open flame. Because of its high alcohol content, Old Man Winter is a heady brew that encourages sipping and pondering its essential richness. Drink it fresh now, or cellar some bottles to see how this old man becomes wiser with age" (source).

Bell's Third Coast Old Ale, $2.79/12oz - "Third Coast Old Ale focuses on malt, offering notes of burnt caramel & other earthy malt flavors. Designed with vintage aging in mind, the malt aspect is matched to a heavy complement of hops. Sharply bitter at first, this will fold into the malt character over time and balance out the maltiness" (source).

Stone 24 Carrot Golden Ale, $9.49/22oz - "As the name implies, this beer is richly aromatic and envelopes the palate with decadent flavors of cream cheese frosting, cinnamon, vanilla, carrots and raisins plus subtle malt sweetness, ending with a medium-dry finish. It’s nothing short of brilliant and well deserving of the 24 karat (carrot?) golden opportunity to be brewed by Stone and distributed across the country" (source).

Atwater Vanilla Java Porter, $18.79/12pk - "A robust Porter made with chocolate malt. This malt Beverage is brewed with coffee beans with natural flavor added, and we balance it with U.S. Golding hops" (source).

Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout, $2.09/12oz - "A full bodied stout made with all malted barley and blueberry. Flavors of chocolate, roast malt and light blueberry make up the palate with lots of fruity blueberry aroma" (source).

Black Rocks Nordskye, $2.09/12oz - "We brewed/tweaked this beer at the pub for a couple years under a different name until it was can worthy. Galaxy hops bring out big tropical/fruity aromas and flavors, the low ABV and easy body make it easy to justify grabbing 'one more.'" (source).

New Spirits

Long Road Gin, $34.99/750ml - "This is our take on a traditional favorite—generous in flavor and bold in character. In true British style, our hallmark Gin is juniper-forward, complemented with a robust blend of botanicals—some familiar and some unexpected" (source).

Long Road Vodka, $29.99/750ml - "This is vodka. Made by people who do things only one way—the right way. The signature taste comes from our Red Winter Wheat, grown by a local farmer we know by name. It was milled in house, fermented carefully, distilled properly, and filtered honestly" (source).